Champagne Register

Dilutes Australia Champagne Register for studbook and non-studbook champagne horses and ponies

Registration and Membership Applications

Ownership requirements:

The owners of all champagnes must be current financial members of the Association. Should an owner cease to be a financial member, the registration of all horses registered in his or her name will be suspended until such time as said owner rejoins the association, at which time the registration of all horses registered in his or her name will be reinstated

Standard of excellence:

A champagne shall meet the standards of conformation (breed characteristics being irrelevant) prescribed by the Board. To be considered for CHAMPAGNE STUDBOOK, NON-STUDBOOK or GELDING registration, a champagne must gain the required conformation marks prescribed by Board and fulfill the following:

• Must be a genetic champagne dilute.

• Have a body free from imperfections and free of white spots except those caused by accident.

• Be permitted white markings on the face and legs only, the legs not to be white above the knees or hocks save for a continuous diminishing spear or stripe running above the knee or hock. NO champagne may have ANY white markings (ie belly splashes) other than those permitted under the Regulations of the Company.  Notwithstanding this, an owner may apply to have a horse or pony accepted for registration under the company's hardship clause which allows for small amounts of underbelly white.

• Not be bleached or dyed

• Not exhibit any appaloosa characteristics. Solid horses and ponies with appaloosa/palouse/spotted pony parentage must be DNA'd for Lp and must return a negative result to be eligible for solid champagne registration.  Champagnes carrying Lp can be registered as DA Non Solid Dilutes.

Characteristics of champagne:

The primary characteristics of champagne include the following:

• mottled skin around the muzzle, eyes, between back legs and under tail
• light coloured eyes - amber, light brown, light hazel etc
• extreme iridescence
• pink teats and testicles (single cream dilutes always have dark skin in those areas)
  

Shades of champagne registered by the company:

AMBER CHAMPAGNE - The Champagne gene acting on a bay base creates an Amber Champagne horse, which looks, in many ways, like a buckskin or dun with brown points. But the newborn foal will have bright pink skin and bright blue eyes. The skin remains basically pink throughout its life, developing freckles on the muzzle, around the eyes, and on its "private parts" as it matures. The tan-colour coat is darker at birth than at maturity, unlike most non-Champagne colours. The newborn-blue eyes on these beautiful tan horses will turn first green, then usually a shade of "amber"... but not the dark brown or black of a buckskin or dun. And, of course, the dorsal stripe and leg barring, etc. of the dun is absent unless the horse also carries the dun gene. The mane and tail of an Amber Champagne, however, will never be truly black, but, rather, a dark brown shade. And though the lower legs of this bay-based horse will be darker than the body, they are often not even as dark as the mane & tail, and, of course, are a shade of brown, and not black. Sometimes the darker shading of the lower legs of an Amber is hardly even noticeable.

SABLE CHAMPAGNE - The Champagne gene acting on brown creates a Sable Champagne horse. These horses may resemble amber champagnes but DNA testing will reveal that they carry brown agouti not standard agouti.

CLASSIC CHAMPAGNE - The Champagne gene acting on a non-bay, black base creates a rare Classic Champagne horse, which looks, in many ways, like a buckskin, brown, or dun horse with darker brown points. The newborn foal will have bright pink skin and bright blue eyes. The skin remains basically pink throughout its life, developing freckles on the muzzle, around the eyes, and on its "private parts" as it matures. The taupe or mocha-coloured coat is darker at birth than at maturity, unlike most non-Champagne colours. The newborn-blue eyes on these beautiful dark horses will often turn first green, then usually a shade of "amber"... but not dark brown or black. The mane and tail of a Classic Champagne, however, will never be truly black, but, rather, a dark brown shade. And though the lower legs of this black-based horse will be darker than the body, they are often not even as dark as the mane & tail, and are, of course, a shade of brown, and not black.

GOLD CHAMPAGNE - Champagne acting on a chestnut base creates a Gold Champagne horse, which looks, in many ways, like a Palomino. The foal will have bright pink skin and bright blue eyes at birth. "Real" Palominos are sometimes born with blue eyes and pink skin, but they usually change very quickly to the characteristic, and required, darker skin and eyes of the true cream-gene-based Palomino. The skin of the Gold Champagne, however, remains basically pink throughout its life, developing freckles on the muzzle, around the eyes, and on its "private parts" as it matures. The golden coat is darker at birth than at maturity, unlike most non-Champagne colours.

The newborn-blue eyes on these beautiful golden horses may turn green, then usually a shade of "amber"... but not the dark brown or black of the usual Palomino. The mane and tail may stay the same shade of gold as the body, or they may be flaxen like those of a Palomino.

Composite Champagnes:

The most common champagne composites are:

AMBER CREAM CHAMPAGNE - cream and champagne on a bay base.

SABLE CREAM CHAMPAGNE - cream and champagne on a brown base.

CLASSIC CREAM CHAMPAGNE - cream and champagne on a black base

GOLD CREAM CHAMPAGNE - cream and champagne on a red base

However, all other combinations of champagne with other dilutions are also recognised and registered as champagnes. These include but may not be limited to:

DUN CHAMPAGNE COMPOSITES / DUN CREAM CHAMPAGNE COMPOSITES / DUN SILVER CHAMPAGNE COMPOSITES / DUN SILVER CREAM CHAMPAGNE COMPOSITES....

SILVER CHAMPAGNE COMPOSITES / SILVER CREAM CHAMPAGNE COMPOSITES....

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